FORAGE PRODUCTION OF SOME LESSER-KNOWN LEUCAENA SPECIES GROWN ON ACID SOIL

Leucaena leucocephala leaves are nutritious and palatable for ruminants. However, the plant is poorly adapted on acid soil, water logged, and susceptible to psyllid (Heteropsylla cubana). Leucaena favours soils with pH >5. It performs best on calcareous soils. This study aimed to evaluate adaptability of several Leucaena species on acid soils. The study was conducted at the experimental field in Ciawi, Bogor, altitude 500 m above sea level, rainfall 1500-2000 mm year-1, on Latosol soil with pH 5.2. Leucaena species evaluated were L. leucocephala K28, L. leucocephala (local type), Leucaena KX2 hybrid, L. collinsii, L. trichandra, and L. diversifolia. Experiment was designed in a randomized complete block, four replications. All the seedlings were grown in the nursery for 2.5 months before being transplanted to the field. The plants were grown in row plots of 5 m x 1 m with planting distance 0.5 m and spacing between row plot was 3 m. One unit replicate was 5 m x 21 m. In wet season, the plants were pruned at 50 cm height every 3 months, whilst in dry season pruning was done every 5 months. Parameter measured were plant regrowth and forage production (edible part and non-edible part of the plant), as well as N and P content of the edible part. The result showed that Leucaena KX2 hybrid was superior to other leucaenas. Regrowth of KX2 hybrid was the fastest and produced highest forage. The highest fresh weight forage production for 1 year (four times harvests), i.e. 33.93 t ha-1 year-1 equal to 12.48 t ha- 1 year-1 of dry weight, was obtained from Leucaena KX2 hybrid, whereas the lowest was produced by L. diversifolia, i.e. 3.12 t ha-1 year-1 of fresh weight or 1.01 t ha-1 year-1 of dry weight. Production of non-edible part followed the pattern of production of edible part. N and P content in the edible part of all Leucaena species did not show any significant difference except for L. trichandra which contained the lowest. This study implies that Leucaena KX2 hybrid is adaptable to acid soil; therefore it can be grown in wider areas throughout Indonesia

Revitalization of Forage Seed Production in Indonesia

Forage plant has multipurposes as feed, cover crop, erosion control, remediation on heavy metal contaminated soil, medicine, as well as textile and food coloring. Seed is a part of plant used for plant multiplication. National seed system covers germplasm management, breeding, seed production and its distribution. Therefore, forage seed production is an important aspect to be concerned. Forage seed production system has to produce high quality seed with optimum yield. There has not been any forage seed producer which ensures the quality of seed produced in accordance to seed certification requirement as those in food crop, horticulture or estate crop. Seed quality aspect covers genetic, physiology and physical quality. Seed stock certification is to guarantee that the distributed seeds have genetic identity, pure and high quality

Genetic Resources of Shade Tolerant Forage Crops

Forage crops are planted mostly in marginal land or integrated with other crops. Estate crops land is one of the alternative areas for forage crops plantation. Shortage of forage crops development under crop plantation is caused by limited light intensity, due to crop shading. Selecting forage crops adapted to estate crops plantation is crusial to achieve its high production and quality. Several grasses and legumes have been identified as forage crops that tolerant to shading of less than 40%, 40-60% and more than 60% light intensity. Some of them have been applied in the area of oil palm plantation to support the acceleration of livestock population

Contribution of legumes on phosphoric absorption by Panicum maximum cv Riversdale in intercropping system

Phosphorus availability in soil as a mobile mineral influences forage growth. The purpose of doing this research is to enhance the soil phosphorus availability and grass production of Panicum maximum cv Riversdale by intercropping system with legums. The experiment was conducted based on with randomized design with five treatments of mixcropping of: (i) Gliricidia sepium + P. maximum; (ii) Calliandra calothyrsus + P. maximum; (iii) Leucaena leucocephala cv Taramba + P. maximum; (iv) Calopogonium mucunoides + P. maximum; (v) P. maximum as negative control. Plants were grown in pots with split-root technique using partition with a whole to allow some legume roots grew in the grass side. After growing for three months, on the legume areas 32P isotop solution was injected for 50 ml (11.23 μci/ml). After 21 days incubation samples were collected from both soil areas and both plants. The translocation of 32P was determined using geiger counter from legumes into the grass and the concentration of 32P was also determined in all plants. Forage productions was determined both in the legumes and grass. Result showed that soil phosphorus concentration in the grass area was significantly improved by intercropping with G. sepium and C. callothyrsus, while the one with L. leucocephala was similar, and the one with C. mucunoides was significantly lower than that of negative control (without legume). Detection of 32P showed that there was P translocation in the system. P. maximum grass production depending on kind of legumes (P<0.05) those with G. sepium was significantly higher, L. leucocephala and C. callothyrsus were not significantly higher, while the one with C. mucunoides was 26.2% lower from the control although not significantly. However, C. mucunoides produced the highest forage from the legume plant. It is concluded that grass-legume intercropping had a positive impact on phosphorus soil concentration in the grass area and grass production. Kind of legumes influenced the effectivity

Economic Value of Dairy Cattle Business in the Lowlands Outside Java

The distribution of dairy cattle population in Indonesia is still concentrated in Java, almost 98.62%. However, milk consumers are evenly in Java and outside Java. In addition, outside of Java has high availability of land as well as the source of the feed. Therefore, the government tries to develop a dairy cattle business outside Java. Dairy cattle development activities were carried out in the highland and also in lowland areas. Whereas, it is well known that the productivity of dairy cattle is optimal in the highland areas. The purpose of this research was to assess the feasibility of a dairy business in the lowland areas outside Java in terms of its productivity and economic analysis. Research was done in the farmer group of "Talago Sakato" Nagari Kayu, Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra Province. Data collection was done by 2015 in the form of location characteristics as secondary data and milk production as well as the value of the input-output dairy businesses as primary data. Descriptive data was used to analyse the location characteristic and non-parametric t test was used to compare milk production in different area. The result shows the average milk production dairy cattle in lowland area of Padang Pariaman 10 litres/head/day was not significantly ifferent from the average milk production in Java (P 0.173). However, it was significantly lower compared to milk production in the highland areas in Java. It has a value of B/C 0.30 regardless of labor cost. If labor variable was taken into account, it required the addition of milk productivity at least 1056 liters/head/lactation period in order to be accomplished BEP. These values indicate that a dairy business in the lowland areas outside Java are rated quite feasible to be developed as seen from milk production values which do not vary markedly with milk production in the lowland areas in Java, but needs to be improved, among others, through the introduction of applied technology

Evaluation on performance of some Sorghum bicolor cultivars as forage resources in the dry land with dry climate

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of several Sorghum bicolor cultivars as forage on a dry land with pH of 5.4, N of 0.08%;  C/N of 9%, P of 0.06% and K of 0.01%. Nine cultivars of S. bicolor (Super 1, Super 2, Numbu, Kawali, G2, G5, PAC 537, PAC 593 and PAC 501) were evaluated. Plot size was 16 m2 with space planting of 15 x 75 cm. The experimental design used was randomized block design with three replications.  Parameters observed were plant height, time of flowering, forage production and quality. The result showed that the primary plant growth was not different in all cultivars. In the 65 days old primary plant,  the Super 2, PAC 537 and Kawali had no flower yet. Biomass production varied in primary plant between cultivars of 11.35 - 26.17 kg/16 m2. The highest biomass production was obtained in PAC 537 of 26.17 kg/16 m2 (16.34 t/ha) which were significantly higher than G2 of 11.35 kg/16 m2 (7.09 ton/ha) and was not significantly different with other cultivars. In the 45 days ratoon I, Super 2, G5 and Super 1 showed faster growth. Biomass production increased in the ratoon I around 19.88 kg/16 m2 (12.42 ton/ha). PAC 537 produced the highest biomass of 30.14 kg/16 m2 (18.84 ton/ha) and was not significantly different with other cultivars, except with the G2. Biomass production of ratoon II decreased around 1.83 kg/16 m2 (1.14 t/ha)–4.77 kg/16 m2 (2.98 t/ha) and increased in the ratoon III of 15.72 kg/16 m2 (9.82 t/ha)–26.05 kg/16 m2 (16.28 t/ha). The quality of forage ratoon I was better compared to the primary plant with the lowest one was in ratoon II. It could be concluded that Super 1, Super 2 and PAC 537 cultivars might be recommended as potential forage

Availability of Forage Under Oil Palm Plantation for Cattle Grazing

Increasing rate of oil palm plantation in Indonesia since 2008-2011 was 6.92%, that increased from 7,363,703 to 7,873,384 ha. Vegetation grown in the area of oil palm plantation is weed for its main crop. There is potential source of oil palm plantation area for livestock industry. Oil palm-cattle integration system is well known and it has been applied in many oil palm plantations, by the use of waste from oil palm plantation, oil palm by-product, the fronds for feed and feces from cattle as organic fertilizer for the plant. Management of oil palm plantation, including plant maintainance, weeding, providing organic and chemical fertilizer is costly. Grazing system under oil palm would minimize cost problem and oil palm production input can be reduced. One of the systems in oil palm-cattle integration that prospective to be developed is grazing by rotation system. Types of plants under oil palm plantation consist of grasses, legumes, other narrow and broad leaves, some are palatable and some are unpalatable or toxic for cattle. Species of vegetation under oil palm vary among the plantation depending on the age of oil palm plant. Introduction of superior forage into oil palm plantation is promising effort to increase the production and quality of feed. Carrying capacity for cattle varies among the oil palm plantation and depends on vegetation under oil palm plantation and age of oil palm. Studies showed that integration oil palm-livestock by grazing system has been proven economically feasible. Key words: Plantation, oil palm, forage, cattle, grazin

PRELIMINARY ECOLOGOCAL STUDY OF Rhizobium : SELECTION OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT MUTANTS OF Rhizobium PMA295 NODULATING Sesbania sesban

This study was designed to provide strain for studying the ecology of Rhizobium when it was used to inoculate seed sown in the soil or in the field. Naturally occurring antibiotic resistant mutant strains of Rhizobium PMA295 nodulating Sesbania sesban were selected by antibiotic selection method. The isolates should be as effective  in nitrogen fixation as the parental  wild-type strain. Authentication of mutant isolates showed that these rifampicin mutant isolates could nodulate test plant and most nodules formed by the rifampicin 50 ppm and streptomycin 500 ppm mutant isolates were red in colour. These twenty isolates can be regarded as rhizobia. The most effective mutant, isolates PMA295 selected on rifampicin 50 ppm was also resistant to rifampicin 60, 70, 80, and 90 ppm. The effectiveness of most mutant strains was not significantly different from their parent strains. The rifampicin 50 ppm mutant strain of Rhizobium PMA295 could be used as inoculant for ecological study